Pete Engen had a small dairy farm in northern Sheridan County, when one day he decided it was time to trade off his McCormick Deering WD-9. “They wouldn’t give me nothing for it!” said Pete. So he took his tractor home and sold the parts to other farmers around the area, as he kept up his farming and dairy business. Mr. Engen soon found out that he could make more money selling parts off tractors than he could by selling the used tractors whole, and that’s when his salvage business took off. Mr. Engen began buying old tractors and selling the parts, but he didn’t stop at tractors, he began buying combines, drills, disks, cultivators, augers, all types of farm machinery.

Mr. Engen sold his cattle and started taking machinery in his barn and making rows of machinery in the cattle pastures. Mr. Engen worked day and night hauling old machinery from other farms. A few neighbors have admitted to thinking Pete had gone crazy, hauling machinery till late in the night.

Pete Engen’s wife Delilah took care of the books, answered telephones and took care of the office, all without the use of the computers that the business now has, while Mr. Engen was out with customers and taking machinery apart. Mr. Engen has five pole barn sheds located on his land. One building stores engine blocks and complete engines ready to be sold, another contains used and brand new tires, along with a few parts bins and complete working tractors. A third building is known as the shop where the tractors are dismantled. Another building stores the majority of the parts bins and also contains the office. The fifth building is Pete Engen’s personal garage and showcase building, it is known by friends and family as the “Toy Shed,” where Mr. Engen stores his antique cars, and antique tractor collection.

Pete’s Tractor Salvage is a rapidly growing business serving rural North Dakota’s community.

This growing machinery salvage business currently has five full-time employees and two part-time employees.

Pete’s Tractor Salvage sells used parts and ships them anywhere around the world.

Pete’s Tractor Salvage is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Saturday, Sunday and all major holidays.